Lingering Shadow
by ElectroNerd
Summary: "My dark shadow... lingers... Someday... Someday... I will return!" Those were his last words to me before he disappeared. Out of sight, out of mind, right? It's been a year since that happened. Why am I hearing his voice again? Post KH2. Riku-centric.
1. Prologue

**Okay, so, I know what you guys are thinking: "What are you DOING?! You have other stories you need to update!" But... this story is like a remake of The Dark Powers Within Him. I couldn't wait to post it, okay?! TT_TT Here's what happened: I was looking over TDPWH and I was thinking, "I need to rewrite over this story." And when I started, I thought about it some more, and decided to rewrite the whole thing as something different. That's how this story came to be, and trust me, I think it'll go much better than the original. I'll probably leave the original up, just because. So, there we go.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts - Tetsuya Nomura and Square Enix do.**

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Prologue

"I smell you Ansem. Show yourself!" I yelled, walking into one of the many white rooms in Castle Oblivion. A dark portal formed in front of me, and when it disappeared, Ansem was standing there.

His stance seemed relaxed. "I have watched you fight." He said calmly. "I know your strength. Your skill with darkness has grown. It has become more... mature." He closed his eyes. "And yet, why..." His eyes shot open and he looked at me, a malevolent form of sadness buried deep into his amber orbs. "Why do you accept the darkness- but still refuse me? You know you and I are similar. We both follow where the darkness leads. Indeed, we are the same, so why?" He asked, holding his hand out to me. "Does some part of your heart still have a fear of the dark?"

I shook my head, my silver hair swaying across my forehead. "That's not it. The truth is..." I summoned my Keyblade, a column of darkness forming around my hand. "I just can't stand your foul stench." I hissed, gritting my teeth.

"You are a fool. You should know my powers well by now." Ansem said, his hand dropping.

"Yeah, I know." I replied simply. "Or did you forget? I used all the power you had to give- and Sora still beat me. I'm not at all impressed with your powers!" I finished.

Ansem closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again. "Very well. In that case-" He stopped and curled into himself, a dark aura surrounding him and blowing his hair around. "You shall sink into the abyss!" He yelled, straightening. Darkness surged out from him, enveloping the white floors and walls of Castle Oblivion in black.

I tried to shield myself as the force of the dark waves pushed me back slightly. I could only watch as I was consumed by this darkness- Ansem's darkness.

When I no longer felt the surges of dark power coursing around me, I dropped my arms and twisted around, trying to figure out where I was. I looked forward just in time to avoid an attack from Ansem's Guardian. I jumped back, gripping my Keyblade tightly in my hand.

I looked up and glared at Ansem. He simply crossed his arms and smirked, his dark Guardian letting out a hollow roar, as if the sound was being sucked into a vortex.

This is it... My final battle with Ansem. After this, if I win, I should be free from his influence, but...

Ansem made the first move. Or rather, his Guardian did. Ansem surged towards me as the dark form above him swung low and powerfully, its fist glowing as it tried to knock me off my feet and send me flying. I jumped out of the way of the attack just in time.

My turn. I ran towards Ansem and jumped up, letting out a yell and slashing down with my Keyblade. The attack almost made contact before Ansem swiftly moved to the side. My weapon came crashing into the ground. I grunted and stood, watching Ansem carefully.

Ansem took a step towards me. Determined to keep my distance for the moment, I took a step back. He smirked triumphantly. His dark Guardian surged past him, its white eyes flashing, then disappeared.

I ran towards Ansem, my Keyblade raised, but when I attacked him, my weapon simply bounced off a barrier. Ansem raised a hand and flicked his wrist. The barrier seemingly exploded, sending me flying. I landed with a harsh thud, skidding across the floor. When I finally stopped, I groaned and stood shakily. I tensed and moved back into my original position, my Keyblade held near my ear and my left hand held out in front of me. I kept my eyes on Ansem, not daring to look away for even a moment.

"Riku," Ansem said, taking another step towards me. I stayed where I was, not intimidated by him. "You must understand, one day the light will fail you, and you will have nowhere to turn, nowhere to run. Afraid of the darkness, yet denied by the light; where will you go?"

"I'll make my own path." I said bitterly, my eyes narrowing. "Who ever said it was one or the other?"

"Foolish boy." Ansem tsked, shaking his head. Suddenly, I felt something wrap itself around me, preventing me from moving. I looked down and saw the giant hands of Ansem's Guardian wrapped around my torso, pinning my arms and lifting me off the ground slightly. _Great,_ I thought dejectedly, _Just great._

When I looked back up, Ansem was there, looking down on me as if he was superior. I turned away, not wanting to look at him. There was a grunt from above me and then a vice grip on my chin, forcing me to look back up at him- Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness, my tormentor.

"Riku," Ansem said again. I hated the way he said my name, like he had absolute control over me. "Succumb to the darkness. Become my slave again, and gain great power. You know you are nothing without me."

I set him with a glare, gritting my teeth and saying nothing.

Ansem continued. "You won't be able to run for very long. The darkness will consume you-"

I shook my head, wrenching my chin from his grip and cutting him off. "That's not true. I'll always win over the darkness, and I'll always beat _you_!" My gaze darted to the side and I yelled, "Now, Your Majesty!"

Ansem turned his head, going to defend himself, and I took this moment of distraction to free myself. I resummoned my Keyblade so I held it backhand. In a sudden burst of strength, I jerked my arm free of the grip holding me and slashed out at it. The dark Guardian let out a vacant howl of pain, releasing me.

I quickly cartwheeled out of range, breathing heavily as Ansem turned a rage-filled look on me. "You insolent brat! Your petty diversions won't work on me."

I smirked, raising my Keyblade. "That one did."

Ansem crossed his arms as his Guardian rose up behind him again. "No others will." He scowled at me.

I only gripped my Keyblade tighter in my hand. _He won't win this. Make sure he doesn't._ I mentally promised myself before charging at him again with a yell.

Ansem simply moved out of the way, his shadowy other preparing an attack. I jumped back and dodged when a row of lightning bolts headed my way. I was able to dodge the next two, but the third one came directly after the last and caught me off guard.

I bit down hard on my lip to prevent the pained yell from coming out as I went flying. I could taste blood as I landed harshly on the ground. I grunted and stood, my stance shaking slightly. I can't continue on like this... If I do, Ansem will win. I shivered at the thought, then closed my eyes. I need my dark power if I want to win this.

I opened my eyes and glared at Ansem, who was watching me carefully. "This darkness..." I said, looking down at myself. A dark aura was surrounding me as I continued. "This darkness that you granted to me... will now be your downfall." I felt the darkness surge around me, lifting me into the air, enveloping me and improving my abilities.

I gracefully landed on the ground, my grip on my Keyblade tightening. I calmly went back into a battle stance, my gaze set on Ansem. _He won't win this. He won't win this. He __**won't**__ win this._ I told myself in a mantra. I dashed towards him, my Keyblade raised.

Ansem didn't have time to dodge as I finally landed a hit on him. We continued like this, matching each other blow for blow. I could tell his strength was starting to dwindle - unfortunately, so was mine.

It was now or never- Ansem and I were both charging up our ultimate attacks, both of us intent of ending this battle once and for all. I felt my power building up within me, and as soon I felt it reach its brink, I let out a yell, surging towards Ansem with everything I had. I performed a swift upward strike, my Keyblade energized with my dark power, knocking Ansem back. I then did a backflip in midair, throwing my Keyblade at the Seeker of Darkness and watching as several other copies flew after it, each weapon hitting home. There was a flash as I summoned my Keyblade back into my hand, dropping to the ground.

I felt my dark powers whoosh out of me, returning me to my former state. I let out a shuddering sigh, gripping my Keyblade tighter. I tried not to grimace as pain washed over me- Ansem's hit may pack a punch, but it's nothing I can't handle. We were both breathing heavily as the battle finally started drawing to a close.

"Insolent brat!" Ansem yelled, darkness forming around his hand. Probably as some sort of ditch attempt to win, he hurled the giant ball at me. Purple lightning bolts shot around as the ball came hurtling towards me.

I raised my Keyblade and grunted as the ball came crashing into it. I struggled with it for a moment before I forced my Keyblade down, dispelling the ball of darkness. "Ansem!" I called out, dark particles from the ball drifting around me. I ran as fast as I could towards him, not giving him any time to react before I surged forward.

His gasp was accompanied by the sound of metal scraping. Breathing heavily, I withheld my stance. "This is... the end." I said, my teeth clenching.

"This... is hardly... the end..." Ansem choked out. "Your darkness- I gave it... all to you... My dark shadow... lingers... Someday..." He said, his voice slowly getting louder. "Someday... I will return!" He yelled, throwing his arms into the air.

Suddenly, the ground started shaking as all of the shadows in the room gathered around Ansem's form. The shadows merged into a tight ball, purple bolts of light and red and blue flames erupting around him. The ball was seemingly absorbed into a vortex before it exploded, blanketing everything in darkness- including me.

I could only gasp as the darkness held me in its vice grip. Darkness flooded my senses. I just barely managed to get out, "Sora... Kairi..."

Just then, I saw a light. _There's always a light, even in the deepest darkness._ Mickey's words came back to me as I watched the bright speck.

"Gosh, Riku, I know you wanted to do this alone... But ya don't mind gettin' a _little_ help, do ya?" The light flashed, and I felt a hand on my shoulder. I felt myself being dragged out of the darkness, and into the light again.

The warmth of the light... The light within the darkness.

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**And that's that, the first step of what I hope will be an amazing story. I think the new prologue is more relative to the plot - yay! :D**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed! Review!**


	2. The Return

**Ugh... *falls over* This chapter was only 1,070 words... In other words, ultra ULTRA short. But it took SO MUCH EFORT to write! TT_TT That. Sucks. Luckily, this chapter was pretty beneficial to the plot, so, hurrah to that. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts; Tetsuya Nomura and Square Enix (and Disney!) do.**

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Chapter 1: The Return

I woke with a start for the fourth time tonight. I sighed and turned my head to the side, looking at the floor. I couldn't recall the nightmare I was having, but telling from the way my clothes and hair stuck to my body, it must have been a bad one. I sat up, taking a deep breath. The covers on my bed had tangled themselves around me like vines, preventing me from moving further. After some difficulties, I moved my legs over the side of the bed and balanced my elbows on my knees, holding my head in my hands.

I felt a draft blow by and I looked up at the window, raising an eyebrow. My navy blue curtains billowed as the cool wind danced into my room. I got up and closed the window, shifting the curtains to cover it. I walked back over to my bed and sat down, reaching to my right to flick the lamp on.

Dim light flooded the area, the shadows around the edges of my room seeming darker. I simply stared at the shadows, knowing that I had lived in them at one point. As I scanned the shadows, a figure crossed my line of sight. I looked at it incredulously, wondering if I was imagining things. I saw two bright yellow orbs emerge from the darkness before I blinked in disbelief. When I focused on the area again, the yellow eyes ceased to be. I shook my head, taking another deep breath. _You're just tired,_ I thought to myself, _You're just tired, and the shadows are playing tricks on you._

Another draft swept by me, and I shivered, looking up. I got up and stood on my bed, then reached up and closed the vent. I sat back down onto the bed, my hands clamming up. I hastily wiped them on the bed sheets. I felt my heart thump in my chest when another draft reached me, this one stronger than the rest. I shivered as my hair blew back, then settled back on my shoulders. It suddenly got very cold in my bedroom and there was yet another draft, but this one was followed by a voice.

_...one day, the light will fail you..._

I stood up, goosebumps forming on my arms. I quickly looked around my room, searching for the owner of the voice. I furrowed my eyebrows when I saw no one. "Who's there?" I demanded, my fists clenching.

_Afraid of the darkness, yet denied by the light..._

The words were strikingly familiar. I swerved around, trying to find the origin of the voice. "Whoever you are, show yourself!" I hissed, trying not to remember.

_Succumb to the darkness..._

"No..." I muttered under my breath, feeling the hilt of my Keyblade materialize in my hand. I gripped it tightly, as if it was reassurance itself. Despite the efforts I made to forget, the shadows from the past crept up and held me in their cold grip.

All the memories from Castle Oblivion surged through my head. I remembered the white walls, the white ceilings, the white floors. I remembered the cards I was given so I could advance thought the castle. I remembered all the battles I fought there, the way Mickey had been there to pull me out of the darkness... I remembered the cause of that darkness.

_That's it, Riku... Remember me..._

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. I tried not to remember him, but the images flashed through my mind. His amber eyes. His silver, purple-tipped hair. His strange clothes. His tanned skin. His darkness. "Ansem!" I called out, gritting my teeth. I realized my mistake and went rigid, only able to stare as the shadows around my room gathered in front of me.

His eyes were the first thing that formed. I looked away, trying not to let him see my panic. I looked at the floor, seeing his shoes materialize, then move closer to me. I moved away, still not looking at him. I gripped my Keyblade so tightly, my knuckles went white.

"I told you, Riku," Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness, said mockingly, "I told you I would return."

"Ansem." I hissed, finally looking up again. "What do you want?"

Ansem held a hand out to me and said simply, "The same thing I wanted a year ago. Join me again."

I shook my head, gritting my teeth. "No way. I'm past the darkness now. I'm not going to fall into it again."

Ansem dropped his hand and shook his head tiredly. "You think you won't come running back." He spat, glaring at me. "We'll see how long your resolve stands."

I raised my Keyblade, anger coursing through me. "What makes you think I'll give in?"

"It will happen in time..." This was all I got as a response. Ansem shook his head, stepping back from me. His figure slowly melted into the darkness, disappearing altogether after a few seconds.

I let out a breath I hadn't even realized I was holding. My Keyblade disappeared from my hand, and I clenched my fist, falling back onto the bed. There was another draft through my room before it got warm again.

_You won't be able to run for very long._

Ansem's voice echoed through my room. I closed my eyes and shook my head, laying back down on the bed. "No," I whispered, clenching the covers tightly. "I won't fall into darkness again."

_It will happen in time..._

"No." I hissed, opening my eyes again. _I won't fall into darkness again._ This was my last thought before I flicked off my lamp and attempted to get some sleep.

I don't walk the road to darkness, or the road to light.

_"Neither suits me. I'm taking the middle road."_ I remembered saying to DiZ, after departing from Castle Oblivion.

_"The twilight road to nightfall?"_ DiZ had asked, not looking at me.

_"No. It's the road to dawn."_ This is what I had responded simply, smirking.

Ansem won't drag me down into the darkness again, unless I let him. I can't fade into the light, like I almost did before fighting Zexion. Neither can hurt me. I can use both.

I walk the road to dawn.

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**Nee... pointless flashback... It was a failed attempt to add some more words to this chapter. Ugh.**

**Review, even if it's a rant about how short the chapter is...**


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